2006 Pontiac Vibe Reviews - Page 3 of 3

2006 Pontiac Vibe Base 1.6L from North America

Summary:

This car beats the heck out of those gas-hog SUV's out there

Faults:

I've had no problems with this car.

General Comments:

My Vibe is exactly what I was looking for. It's by no means a luxury car, but as a traveling musician, it transports me and my gear perfectly. My main concern was gas mileage, since my Saturn SW got about 36 mpg. This car does that with more comfort and power. What is surprising is that the gas mileage is actually poorer on long freeway trips. I wish it had a 6-speed. There's lots of head and leg room, front and back. And the price really blew away the used Mazda 3 hatchbacks that I'd looked at.

There are a few downsides, of course. We had a really snowy winter and I wouldn't consider this the best snow car I've ever owned. It's also not as eye appealing as many cars either, but I didn't buy it to look at.

2006 Pontiac Vibe from North America

Faults:

I own a GM Pontiac Vibe. The other day my air conditioning stopped working for no reason, and I naturally assumed that it's a new car with only 25,000KM, surely this would be covered by warranty.

After the visit to the dealership, the diagnosis was "Inspected and found A/C compressor not to be cycling. Found no refrigerant in system. Inspected for leak. Found hole in condenser from a rock hitting it. Not covered under warranty." and the cost to fix the problem was $1,000.

I contacted GM head office and was told by the representative that this was the policy, and there was nothing to be done. If a rock (from driving down an alley) can have sufficient force to cause $1,000 in damage and not be covered under warranty, then obviously GM is producing a sub par product and further, which would explain why they do not back their product with their very limited warranty!

If you are interested in purchasing a Vibe or any other GM product, be sure not to drive on any major roadway or alley where there are rocks, because the under-carriage of the car is not sufficiently protected to prevent expensive damages that are not covered by the GM warranty.

26th Jun 2008, 16:56

NO, GM is NOT "producing a sub-par product"... TOYOTA is. The Vibe is a Toyota Matrix sold by Pontiac. In view of recent lapses in Toyota quality, you should have done your homework before buying an import. Nothing currently made by Toyota should be regarded as trouble-free. They are currently in the midst of one of the worst quality lapses in their history. In 2006 they RECALLED more cars than they SOLD. Next time, don't buy an import.

Summary:

Good Vibe-rations

Faults:

Nothing!

General Comments:

My short list included the Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix XR, Dodge Caliber SXT (manual), Scion xB (imported into Canada), and the Toyota Yaris RS. The Vibe was the least expensive to buy, except for the Caliber which was $2K cheaper than the Vibe. The Caliber didn't impress me much. If you're in the market for this type of crossover vehicle, what are you waiting for?!?! The styling of the Vibe won me over the Matrix, which is also a good vehicle. The Vibe has a few "extras" that don't come in the Matrix.. roof racks, 115VAC plug (which is handy for my cell phone), etc... The Vibe costs more than a base Matrix, however, once you option out the Matrix, they are almost the same price.